Rug stiffener and protector.



C. E. LANE.

RUG STIFFENER AND PROTECTOR.

APPLIGATION FILED Nov. 24, 190s.

Patented June 29, 1909.

fHs NoRRls PETERS co.,wAsmNcraN, n. c.

CLARA E. LANE, OF EUREKA SPRINGS, ARKANSAS.

RUG STIFFENER AND PROTECTOR.

Specication of Letters Patent.

Patented June 29, 1909.

Application filed November 24, 1908. Serial No. 464,252.

To all lwhom it may concern:

Be it known that l, CLARA E. LANE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Eureka Springs, in the county of Carroll and State of Arkansas, have invented or discovered certain new and useful Improvements in Rug Stiffeners and Protectors, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

It is well known that certain classes of rugs and mats, particularly such as are known as Persian rugs, have a tendency to curl at the corners and edges, so that they present a more or less unsightly appearance, and are liable to trip persons walking over them and to become worn at the curled-up portions.

This invention has for its object to obviate the difficulty referred to by providing means for stiffening and protecting the corners or edges of rugs, mats and the like, and the invention is carried into effect by providing stiiiening and protecting devices consistingI of folded pieces of sheet metal embracing the corners or other parts of the articles to be protected, and removably attached thereto in any suitable manner. Also toprevent the rugs or mats from slipping on polished floors, as also to prevent such floors from bcing marred by the metallic protecting devices, the latter are faced on their under sides with some soft anti-friction material, as felt, rubber, or the like.

To these ends the invention consists in the construction and combination of arts as hereinafter more particularly described and as pointed out in the claims forming part of this specification.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a partial plan view, partly broken out, of a rug or mat provided with the invention. Fig. 2 is a section of the same on line 2-2, Fig. 1, and Fig. 3 is a section on line 3 3, Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4, Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, 12 denotes the body of a mat or rug which will be of any suitable material and woven in a suitable manner. rlhe said mat or rug is provided at its corners, and also preferably at other parts of its edges, dparticularly at such parts as are most expose to wear, or most liable to curl, with stiffening and protecting devices 13, consisting of folded pieces of sheet metal embracing the body ortion of the mat and removably secured t ereto in any suitable manner.

The attaching devices may consist simply of well known forms of paper fasteners 14, having heads on the upper sides of the metallic protecting and sti'fl'ening devices, and clenched at their lower sides in a well known manner or the said protecting and sti'ffening devices may be attached to the rug or mat in any other suitable manner, as by being provided with teeth at their edges clenched down into the rug, or by being slotted and secured in place by staples, as 15, lying about flush with the upper surfaces of the stiflening and protecting devices, and clenched on the under surfaces thereof As is well known, the paper fasteners 141-, which may be employed for removably securing the stifl'ening and )rotecting devices to a rug, are of thin liexibile metal, so that their clenched lower' ends may be readily straightened out when it is necessary to remove the stiflening and protecting devices from a rug, as when the rug is worn out and it is desired to apply these devices to another rug. The staples 15, which may be employed, if desired, as attaching devices, are of light, Vflexible wire, as shown, and the clenched lower ends of these staples may also be readily straightened out when it is desired to remove the protecting devices, secured by such staples, from a rug, as will be understood. Of course if the staples be clenched above the facing material 16, as shown in Fig. 3, such facing material, which is usually pasted to the underside of the sti'flening and protecting devices 13, must iirst be loosened for access to the clenched ends of the staples.

To prevent the stiffened and protected rugs, mats or the like from slipping on or mari-ing polished -floors or other surfaces on which they may be laid, the protecting devices 13 are provided on their under sides with sheets 16 of any suitable soft, anti-friction material, as felt, rubber or the like, secured thereto by paste or other adhesive substance; said anti-friction sheets being preferably coeXtensive with the undersides of the protecting and stiffening devices so as to cover the entire under surfaces of the same.

The up er sides or plies of the folded stiflening ancrprotecting devices are preferably formed into ornamental patterns, such as are shown in the drawings, or made to eX- hibit any other ornamental design. The outlines of the inner edges of the lower' plies of the stiilening and protecting devices are indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, and the anti-friction protecting sheets 16 will preferably extend inward to said outlines.

From the foregoing it will be apparent that the invention rovides means whereby rugs, mats and the ike may be stifened and protected at their corners or any other parts of their edges which are liable to be exposed to any unusual Wear, and that such protecting and stiffening devices Will be prevented from marringpolished floors or other surfaces on which the stiffened and protected ru gs, etc. may be laid; and that the tendency of such rugs, etc., to mar or to slide on such polished v surfaces Will be lessened or avoided.

lf it be desired to attach a fringe to the ends of a rug provided With the stiffening and protecting devices: 13 the latter may be provided with slits or openings 17 at portions of their edges, to permit of the convenient attachment of the fringe at points adj acent the edges of the said stiifening and protecting devices.

Having thus described my invention I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A rug or similar article provided at its corners With stifening and protecting devices consisting of folded pieces of sheet metal embracing the article at its corners, combined with independent means, consisting of `flexible or bendable clenching metallic fasteners, for removably attaching said stiffening and protecting devices to such article, said stiffening and protecting devices being provided on their under sides, and below said attaching means, With sheets of soft anti-friction material co-eXtensive, or approximately so, With their lower surfaces, so that the latter and the attaching means will be prevented from marring or scratching a iloor or other surface on Which said rug or the like may be laid, and also so that said rug or the like Will be less liable to slip on such surface.

2'. A rug or similar article provided at its corners with stiffening and protecting devices consisting o-f folded pieces of sheet metal embracing the article at its corn-ers,

combined with independent means for removably attaching said stiffening and protecting devices to such article, said stiffening and protecting devices being rovided on their under sides, and below saic attaching means, with sheets of soft anti-friction material co-extensive, or approximately so, with their lower surfaces, so that the latter, and the attaching means, will be prevented from marring or scratching a floor or other surface on which said rug or the like may be laid, and also so that said rug or the like will be less liable to slip o-n such surface, parts of said folded sheet metal stiffening and protecting devices having slits or openings at their edges permitting of the attachment of fringe to the ends of the rug.

In testimony whereof l aifix my signature, in presence of tWo Witnesses.

CLARA E. LANE.

Witnesses:

L. M. LANE, W. V. LANE. 

